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Friday, November 8, 2019

Alumna Teacher Inspires With Viral Video


DorothyHoney Mallari dances with her class

A Bay Area elementary school teacher and graduate of San Diego State University has made national news after a video of her singing the hit Lizzo song “Truth Hurts” — modified with inspirational lyrics — with her students became a viral sensation. The video of DorothyHoney Mallari, a 2011 liberal studies graduate and a second grade teacher at Los Medanos Elementary School in Pittsburg, first hit social media in early November. 



"Some people dread going to work," Mallari wrote on Instagram. "For me, work has been my Safe Haven. There are times when I feel overwhelmed, defeated and exhausted from the challenges of everyday life. But as soon as I see my students and we sing our morning song, I know it’s a moment for me to exhale, feed off each other’s energy, and give them the freedom to enjoy school!"⠀⠀

The video quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of views and caught the attention of the local news. Lizzo herself soon took notice and tweeted the video to her 1.2 million followers. 


On Nov. 7, Mallari was interviewed on Good Morning America where she talked about her motivation for the video — and she was surprised by a special video message from Lizzo.